Test 1, Form A
1. The spectrum in Slide 1 is
a) an emission-line spectrum
b) a blackbody spectrum
c) a flat spectrum
d) an absorption-line spectrum
e) an x-ray spectrum
2. Who drew the picture in Slide 2?
a) Galileo Galilei
b) Johannes Kepler
c) Tycho Brahe
d) Nicholas Copernicus
e) Claudius Ptolemy
3. The picture displayed in Slide 3 was taken
a) at mid-latitudes (such as the United States).
b) near the south pole.
c) near the north pole.
d) near the equator.
e) no information about earth latitude is contained on the slide.
4. The diagram on the left in Slide 4 shows the portion of the Moon illuminated
by the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. Which position corresponds to the
phase of the Moon illustrated by the picture on the right?
a) Position 2
b) Position 4
c) Position 6
d) Position 3
e) Position 7
5. Planets can be distinguished from stars with the unaided eye because
a) planets move in the sky relative to the stars.
b) planets appear much brighter than any star.
c) planets can be seen during the day.
d) planets differ in color from the stars.
e) planets appear much dimmer than any star.
6. Kepler's second law (equal areas in equal times) says in effect that
a) planets move faster as they near the Sun
b) more distant planets must orbit faster, to sweep out the same area in a similar time
c) planets move slower as they near the Sun
d) planets move at a steady pace around the Sun
e) none of the above
7. Circumpolar constellations
a) are also called zodiac constellations.
b) cannot be seen from State College.
c) are visible from the equator during the summer.
d) are visible from the equator during the winter.
e) can be observed all night.
8. The fundamental reason why the Earth has seasons is that
a) the Earth is going around the Sun.
b) the Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane.
c) the Earth is spinning on its axis.
d) the Earth's axis is precessing.
e) the Earth is in the center of the celestial sphere.
9. The spectrum of the star Deneb shows a strong absorption line at wavelength
6565 A . We know that hydrogen absorbs photons at a wavelength of 6563 A .
If the absorption seen in Deneb is due to hydrogen in the star's atmosphere,
then
a) Deneb must be moving towards us.
b) Deneb must be moving away from us.
c) Deneb must be a red star.
d) Deneb must be rotating.
e) Deneb must emit mostly in the ultraviolet.
10. We experience extra high tides (spring tides) during
a) full moon
b) first quarter moon
c) new moon
d) third quarter moon
e) both full and new moon
11. A mountaintop is a good location for optical telescopes because the site is
a) cheaper to build on than in cities.
b) colder than the valleys.
c) above much of the atmosphere.
d) closer to astronomical objects.
e) all of the above.
12. The sidereal day (a full rotation of the Earth measured relative to
distant stars) is shorter than a solar day (a full rotation of the
Earth relative to the Sun) because
a) the Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane.
b) the Moon orbits the Earth.
c) the Earth's axis is precessing.
d) the Earth orbits the Sun.
e) none of the above
13. The circular shape of the Earth's shadow on the Moon led
early astronomers to conclude that
a) the Earth must be at rest
b) the Moon is a sphere
c) the Earth is at the center of the Solar System
d) the Earth is a sphere
e) the Moon must orbit the Sun
14. Atoms have particular associated spectral lines because
a) electrons only have certain allowed orbits.
b) the speed of light is constant.
c) light consists of waves.
d) light waves can show the Doppler effect.
e) photons have only certain allowed orbits.
15. What is the fundamental difference between a reflecting telescope and a
refracting telescope?
a) A reflecting telescope has less magnification than a refracting telescope.
b) A reflecting telescope has a larger field-of-view than a refracting telescope.
c) A reflecting telescope can see fainter stars than a refracting telescope.
d) A reflecting telescope has a longer tube than a refracting telescope.
e) A reflecting telescope gathers light with a mirror, while a refracting telescope gathers
light with a lens.
16. What type of photon has the longest wavelength?
a) a red photon
b) a gamma-ray photon
c) a yellow photon
d) an x-ray photon
e) an infrared photon
17. Which of these statements about planetary orbits in our solar system
is true?
a) The planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at the precise center of the ellipse.
b) Inferior planets take more time to go around the Sun than superior planets.
c) Planets spend more time near their aphelion (furthest point) than perihelion (closest
point).
d) Planets always travel west to east in the sky.
e) Planets are usually found far from the ecliptic plane.
18. The time it takes for one celestial body to orbit another
a) depends only on the masses of the two bodies.
b) depends only on the semi-major axis of the orbit.
c) depends on the masses of the two bodies and the focus of the ellipse.
d) depends on the masses of the two bodies and the ellipticity of the orbit.
e) depends on the masses of the two bodies and the semi-major axis of the orbit.
19. What causes light from a star to be Doppler-shifted?
a) the distance between us and the star.
b) temperature differences between us and the star.
c) the gas and dust between us and the star.
d) the speed of the star toward or away from us.
e) none of the above.
20. Imagine a planet whose rotation axis is perpendicular to its orbital plane. How would you describe the its seasons?
a) more intense than those on Earth.
b) the same as those on Earth.
c) constant -- there would be no seasons.
d) shorter than those on Earth.
e) longer than those on Earth.
21. When Venus is in opposition (opposite the Sun), it
a) is visible near midnight.
b) is closest to the Sun in its orbit.
c) appears to be moving backward against the background of stars.
d) is furthest from the Sun in its orbit.
e) none of the above --- Venus is never seen in opposition!
22. The reason we can't see blackbody radiation from other people is
a) the dust in the air scatters the light emitted by our body.
b) the radiation from room temperature objects (like people) emerges mostly in the infrared
region of the spectrum.
c) the air in the room absorbs the light emitted by our body.
d) the emission lines from our bodies are much stronger than the blackbody emission.
e) no reason -- that's how we do see each other.
23. One reason early scientists resisted putting the Sun in the
center of the Solar System was that
a) no one knew the earth was round.
b) retrograde motion hadn't been discovered.
c) precession was unknown at the time.
d) there was no evidence for stellar parallax.
e) Ptolemy's system did a very good job predicting the positions of planets.
24. A 10-pound iron ball which is 5-inches in diameter is heated to
6000 K. A 20-pound lead ball which is also 5-inches in diameter
is heated to 3000 K. According to what we know about light
a) the iron ball will glow dimmer and appear redder than the lead ball.
b) the iron ball will glow brighter and appear bluer than the lead ball.
c) the iron ball will glow dimmer and appear bluer than the lead ball.
d) the iron ball will glow brighter and appear redder than the lead ball.
e) the light emitted from both balls will be identical.
25. What type of photon has the highest frequency?
a) a microwave photon
b) an ultraviolet photon
c) a radio photon
d) a red photon
e) an infrared photon
26. In the Bohr model of the atom
a) electrons can only orbit at certain fixed distances from the nucleus.
b) electrons can orbit at any distance from the nucleus.
c) protons can be at any distance from the nucleus.
d) electrons cannot interact with light.
e) electrons cannot leave the atom.
27. On December 21, the Sun will set
a) in the southeast
b) due west
c) in the southwest
d) in the northwest
e) in the northeast
28. During a lunar eclipse
a) the Earth's shadow falls on the Sun
b) the Sun's shadow falls on the Moon
c) the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon
d) the Earth stops turning
e) the Moon's shadow falls on the Earth
29. A solar flare emits light at all wavelengths. Which reaches the
Earth first?
a) the x-rays
b) the radio waves
c) the optical light
d) the microwave light
e) all reach the Earth at the same time
30. If the Sun were to shrink to one-tenth its size (but keep its same mass),
what would happen to the orbit of the earth?
a) The Sun's greater gravity would cause the earth to orbit closer to the Sun.
b) The Sun's greater gravity would cause the earth to crash into the Sun.
c) The Sun's smaller gravity would cause the earth's orbit to become highly elliptical.
d) Nothing.
e) The Sun's smaller gravity would cause the earth to orbit farther from the Sun.
31. Which type of light can be observed from the ground?
a) ultraviolet light
b) radio waves
c) x-rays
d) gamma-rays
e) none of the above can be observed from the ground.
32. We see different constellations in the summer than in the winter because
a) the stars have parallax.
b) the Earth is round.
c) the planets occasionally undergo retrograde motion.
d) the direction of the earth's axis precesses.
e) the Earth goes around the Sun.
33. The Sun is always
a) south of the celestial equator (at least when seen from State College).
b) north of the celestial equator (at least when seen from State College).
c) on the celestial equator.
d) opposite the Moon in the sky.
e) in a zodiac constellation.
34. The best test of a scientific hypothesis is how
a) simply it explains known observations
b) well it agrees with known theories
c) well it predicts new observations
d) easily it is transcribed into mathematical notation
e) well it explains known observations
35. During a full moon, how much of the total Moon's surface is being illuminated by the Sun?
a) none
b) less than half
c) all
d) more than half
e) half
36. We see a full moon rise at
a) noon
b) around 9 p.m.
c) sunset
d) midnight
e) sunrise
37. The setting sun is red because
a) the ozone layer absorbs all the Sun's ultraviolet light.
b) the air near the horizon is reddish.
c) dust scatters much of the Sun's blue light away from us.
d) the Sun emits most of its light in the red region of the spectrum.
e) the gases in the Earth's atmosphere absorb most of the blue light.
38. The Sun's position on the celestial sphere is contantly changing; the
path that it follows is called the ecliptic. About how long
does it take the Sun to complete one "trip" around the ecliptic?
a) 180 days
b) 24 hours
c) 365 days
d) 27 days
e) 23 hours 56 minutes
39. Pluto, which is in the outer part of our solar system, is 38 Astronomical
Units from the Sun. Consider an object at 76 Astronomical Units from the
Sun. The Sun's gravitational attraction on this object
a) would be much less than it is on the Earth.
b) would depend on the composition of the object.
c) would be just as strong as it is on the Earth.
d) would be much greater than it is on the Earth.
e) would be zero -- the object would be outside the gravitational influence of the Sun.
40. X-ray radiation from astronomical objects is best studied
a) from airplanes.
b) from space.
c) during the day.
d) from mountaintops.
e) from the desert.
41. Two stars have the same size and have the same temperature, but one
is twice as far away as the other. The more distant star
a) will appear twice as dim and much redder than the nearer star.
b) will appear four times dimmer and much redder than the nearer star.
c) will appear twice as dim and much bluer than the nearer star.
d) will appear four times dimmer than the nearer star.
e) will appear identical to the nearer star.
42. A 4-meter telescope
a) can magnify more than a 2-meter telescope.
b) has a larger field-of-view than a 2-meter telescope.
c) has better ``seeing'' than a 2-meter telescope.
d) can see fainter than a 2-meter telescope.
e) can see more of the electromagnetic spectrum than a 2-meter telescope.
43. An astronomer speculates that there is a cloud of cold gas in between
us and the star mu ~Sgr. We can test this hypothesis by
a) observing the movement of the star through space.
b) observing the star's blackbody spectrum.
c) observing emission lines in the spectrum of the star.
d) observing absorption lines in the spectrum of the star.
e) observing the scattered blue light in the spectrum of the star.
44. The first person to place the Sun in the center of the Solar System was
a) Nicholai Copernicus
b) Isaac Newton
c) Galileo Galilei
d) Johannes Kepler
e) Tycho Brahe
45. Solar eclipses only occur
a) during a neap tide.
b) during a Full Moon.
c) during the solstice.
d) during a high tide.
e) during a New Moon.
46. In 10,000 years,
a) the Earth will no longer have seasons.
b) the Moon will no longer cause eclipses.
c) Orion and Scorpius will no longer be opposite each other on the sky.
d) a sidereal day will no longer be shorter than a solar day.
e) Polaris will no longer be the north star.
47. A planet is 1.5 A.U. from the Sun. This means that
a) the planet is closer from the Sun than the Earth.
b) the planet is a superior planet.
c) the planet takes less than a year to go around the Sun.
d) the planet will never undergo retrograde motion.
e) the planet is in a circular orbit about the Sun.
48. Ancient astronomers found it difficult to explain the motions of the planets because
a) planets are much fainter than the Sun and the Moon
b) planets sometimes reverse their observed motion in the sky (retrograde motion)
c) the Sun and the Moon always show retrograde motion
d) planets move much faster than the Sun and the Moon
e) none of the above
49. Which did Galileo not observe?
a) the moons of Jupiter.
b) the mountains of the Moon.
c) the rings of Saturn.
d) the phases of Venus.
e) the parallax of stars.
50. Which type of photon carries the most energy?
a) an x-ray photon
b) an infrared photon
c) an ultraviolet photon
d) a microwave photon
e) a blue photon